The Kkangpae and the Lawyer
[Part 2 of The Kkangpae and the Lawyer]
Previous
It’s an easy sort of pattern they fall into over the next few weeks with Minho usually arriving at Taemin’s door at seven to pick him up, and invariably they would spend the evenings walking the streets of Seoul eating hot street food bought from the market stalls, or going to restaurants or the cinema and even infrequently to Minho’s own apartment. Their outings were nearly always centered around food, with Minho protesting that Taemin is mere skin and bones, (‘worse than a stray cat’). Besides, Minho likes feeding him.
However, tonight Taemin insists that they go to the warehouse to allow him to again work on the kkangpae’s financial documents. He found this work to be interesting actually; how many highly esteemed members of the public bought drugs off the kkangpae in the shady corners of the streets where no one thought to look; how money was owed by an incomprehensible amount of people, even by other gangs that were considered to be underdogs. His father has been granted permission to return home, but Taemin still has to keep working. It isn’t so bad now; they paid him a little as well as taking the cost off of the debt, and the amount they paid is enough for him and his father to afford their bills as well as basic groceries.
The evenings at the warehouse were always fun for him; they consisted of stolen glances between him and Minho - often he would feel the weight of Minho’s stare on him as his pen scratched on thin paper, and he could never resist peeking up to catch him out, with shoes propped up on his wooden table and a grin that crinkled his eyes, hands playing with a pen as he watched Taemin work. He is more comfortable of the other members now as well, as they are now aware of the fact that he is Minho’s, and act out of forced politeness whenever he was around - no one wants to get on the wrong side of Minho and face the consequences.
In fact, the only person who seems normal to him in the kkangpae is Jonghyun, even if he did mistaken Taemin to be a prostitute at first. He had met him again on his second time there, with Jonghyun asking him to put it behind them - ‘after all, you should probably take it as a compliment that I thought you were a whore, because it means that I thought that you were really attractive right?’ He had glanced around in case Minho had come back. ‘I mean, not to say that I would take you from Minho, but that you are really pretty - I mean - oh god, it’s not that you look like a whore but you could be if you wanted to, you know what I mean? Not that I’m persuading you to or anything. Wait, that didn’t sound right either. What I mean is-’ Taemin had cut him off then, hiding a laugh behind his hand and reassuring Jonghyun that he was forgiven.
Minho wants to escape earlier today, and he drags Taemin from behind his table, complaining that he likes to work more than spending time with him. He coaxes Taemin into leaving, spinning him a tale about how there are supposed to be shooting stars tonight, and that they should go to the park and camp out in order to watch out for them. Taemin is impressed by this, and agrees into leaving, wanting for his wishes to come true.
They are lying on a small blanket Minho had conveniently stowed away in his backseat, Minho’s long legs draped over the other’s because he claims to find Taemin’s legs more comfortable than the grassy ground. They cannot see anyone else in the clearing, and Minho is content to just lie there after moving Taemin’s head to his chest, even if some curls do tickle his neck and face. Minho talks, because Taemin is quiet and absorbed in his own thoughts. He always knows that when he is like this it’s because he needs to sort out a mess of things out in his head. Minho rambles about how the stars are scattered in the midnight blue sky, the moon only a sliver of a crescent and how the north star is the brightest - ‘it’s the star that’ll lead you home’.
Taemin interrupts after a while, pressing a thin finger to Minho’s lips, effectively stopping him mid-sentence. He rolls onto his stomach before talking, solemnly propping up his head on an elbow, head cocked to the side as he observes Minho.
Minho laughs, finding Taemin adorable, especially when he is being serious and the younger kicks his shin.
‘What is it, Taemin-ah?’ He threads his fingers through the soft waves of hair, feeling like cool silk due to the night air.
‘Minho…you know on the night of the fireworks?’ Minho nods, hands stilling and chest tightening as he recalls that particular night. It’s the mask of calm he wears when in business meetings, and he knows that Taemin doesn’t know about this façade, simply because he has never showed him.
‘And you said about wanting to start afresh?’ His voice is quietly hopeful, afraid of a quick rebuff.
Minho feels the mask slip and reveal a face full of relief, but Taemin is avoiding eye contact and Minho laughs again at this. He pulls Taemin to his chest, ignoring his struggles to escape free.
‘No, wait, I haven’t finished.’ Taemin wriggles, using his surprisingly strong legs to push Minho away. ‘We could run away.’
‘To where, Taemin-ah?’ He’s lying flat on his back now, eyes tracing what he thinks is Orion’s belt.
‘To- well, to the seaside. Or wherever you want to go. I don’t mind. After all, it’s not like there’s anything tying me down here.’
Minho actually considers this. He’s always liked the seaside, the fresh air that always tastes of saltwater and the quaint little shops that line the harbour. But he has responsibilities here, a gang to take care of. Taemin’s waiting for an answer, mouth set in a line with worry from the possibility that Minho might not want to run away with him.
‘Taemin-ah. This is all very sudden. We should think about this first, shouldn’t we? Make plans if we are to do this?’ He kisses Taemin’s forehead comfortingly, and Taemin melts back against his chest.
~
He’s working in the warehouse again tonight, dealing with the statements from the shipment of firearms that had just arrived yesterday. He feels slightly off centre though - Minho’s left him alone, saying that he has to deal with business, and that’s he’ll be back soon. Taemin never dares to ask what the business ever is, because he can sense that Minho doesn’t want to go. He never likes it when Minho sometimes comes back splattered with what seems to be blood, either.
They haven’t spoken directly of running away, but with Minho talking about it as if it is a holiday. However, one day Taemin had opened the dashboard of Minho’s car to discover several maps and two fake passports, a small box stuffed full with ₩50,000 notes and several bank cards with the same fake names.
Taemin’s finished his work, so he wonders out into the main area, instinctively searching out Jonghyun to keep him entertained. He gives the others a wide berth; although they are friendly to him, he does not yet feel comfortable enough to sit and play cards with them. Jonghyun’s voice can be heard clearly through the building, and he follows the complaining whine to the kitchen.
‘It wasn’t my fault, I didn’t mean to break the glass. I’m getting better at controlling my anger, really.’
The man in the kitchen with him has a brush in his hand, brandishing it menacingly in the direction of Jonghyun. He has his back turned to Taemin, and all he can see is a bright pink, collar-studded jacket, the bottom part of his head shaved leaving long blonde on the top.
Jonghyun spots Taemin in the entrance, and eagerly changes the topic. ‘Kibum, this is Taemin, Minho’s boyfriend. I told you he’s attractive, isn’t he? Of course, uh, not any more than you are because I only have you in my eyes, right?’
The man named Kibum turns to Taemin, and the first thing he notices are the feline eyes, black eyeliner lending a fierce glare.
‘He is cute.’ Kibum affirms.
Jonghyun perks up at this. ‘Isn’t he? Actually, there’s a really funny story. First time I saw him I thought he was a prostitute, because of his body - I mean, Kibum, I haven’t been looking at his body, it’s just that there was that shipment about a month ago and I thought he was a late delivery and-’
Taemin is biting his lower lip to try and prevent his laughter coming out; Kibum is rolling his eyes theatrically whilst Jonghyun stutters on, digging himself into an even bigger hole.
‘Shut up, Jonghyun,’ and immediately Jonghyun presses his lips together, eyes widely innocent.
Kibum turns his focused attention to Taemin. ‘So, you’re Minho’s boyfriend, huh? I guess the boss has finally accepted that he’s gay.’
Jonghyun isn’t able to keep up his silence for long, and pipes in. ‘You know what, Kibum? Boss told Taemin to call him Minho on the first day they met again. Honestly, he doesn’t even like us calling him Minho even though we’ve worked with him for years.’
Kibum cocks a brow at Taemin. ‘You must be something pretty special, huh? He has been a lot happier these past couple of weeks, not been his usual ruthless self. Keep on distracting him, it’s a lot better for the rest of us if he isn’t as focused.’
Taemin is confused by the way they’re talking, all this scrambling around in his brain. ‘Wait…what do you mean calling him boss all the time? Jonghyun, met again?’
The two look at each other, faces stricken with surprise. Jonghyun really is silent this time.
‘Taemin, you know after all this time that Minho is the boss, right?’
You may call me Minho.
I am not the boss, Taemin. Merely…his right hand man.
The boss is away now, overseas to deal with business.
Men the boss has killed, whispered awe at how he has managed to overturn leaders in other mafias by monopolizing the drug trade in Korea.
Just business, Taemin. I have…something to take care of after this.
‘But…’
Jonghyun opens his mouth more slowly this time. ‘Minho kept saying to me how it must be fate when you two met again…a long time since you were in the same high school together. I haven’t ever seen him this happy before.’
Forgive me for a bad first impression, Taemin.
Even have double dessert, if you’re really unable to choose!
Minho’s first pet was a lizard
You remind me of a friend I used to know back in high school
I just - I feel so comfortable with you; I forget that we’ve only met twice
I haven’t been to the park since high school, it seems
Me either.
How could Taemin have forgotten? How could Minho have lied to him? All this, every minute they had spent together, and Taemin didn’t have a clue about the truth. He doesn’t realize he is crying until hot tracks make their way down his cheeks, eyes welling up from anger and the fact that everyone else knows apart from him.
Kibum wraps an arm around Taemin in a comforting gesture whilst Jonghyun rips paper towels for him to dry his eyes with. He must look so stupid, he realizes. To not know this, even when it was all in front of his eyes.
Jonghyun and Kibum glance at each other, guilt clearly written on their faces as Taemin tries to control the sobs leaking out.
‘Shit. Taemin, if I knew that you didn’t know, I wouldn’t have said anything-‘
Taemin interrupts Jonghyun this time. ‘It’s alright. The truth had to come out at some time, right?’ The smile he tries to plaster onto his face is weak, already cracking as he tries to stifle a sob that involuntarily comes from his throat. Kibum’s hand is rubbing slow circles on his back, and he feels so embarrassed to be crying in front of this man he’s only just met.
‘I think- I think I just need to be by myself for a bit.’ He leaves the room then, lowering his head in an attempt to disguise his swollen eyes to the rest of the gang, and in the background he can hear Kibum who is already beginning to chastise Jonghyun.
He sits in Minho’s chair, a knot of uneasiness resting in his stomach. The only sound present is the ticking of the clock, marking the passing of time, each second getting closer to when Minho would come back.
The door opens, quickly closing shut with a quiet click and Taemin can hear the swift footsteps making their way to the room, picture Minho’s eager smiling face to be back and meet again, even if he’s only been absent for a few hours.
Jonghyun’s voice is unmistakable, meek as he tries to call Minho.
‘Boss.’
‘Boss, wait-’
Taemin can imagine Minho on the other side of the door, impatiently waving a hand dismissingly at Jonghyun’s direction. ‘Hang on, Jonghyun, you can tell me later.’
The door handle turns, and Taemin can feel the tears trailing down his cheeks again, dripping off his jaw only to splash onto his chest.
Minho’s face is radiant, almost glowing with happiness, lips grinning wide to show pearly white teeth. His smile quickly falls when he sees Taemin crying silently, and in a flash Minho is over by his side.
He cradles Taemin as best he can, perching on the armrest and encircling him tightly in his arms. Minho has never seen him cry before, and his mind is in a state of panic as he rubs Taemin’s back in circles, trying to console him and to stop crying.
‘Taemin-ah, what’s wrong? Tell me, so I can fix it for you.’
What Minho doesn’t understand is he can’t, not when the trust between them has been broken. It upsets Taemin that whilst he wants to be comforted by Minho, he’s also the one who has caused him this pain. He tries to wriggle away from Minho, feeling like a traitor to himself when he’s promised himself that he wouldn’t fall into this trap, that he would stand up for himself this time and not listen to these well spun lies of deceit.
‘You - you lied.’ He barely manages to choke out these two words and his sight is blurred, tears falling thick and fast, too fast for him to wipe away before they are replaced by new ones.
‘What are you talking about, Taemin-ah?’ His voice is soft, soothing as he cradles Taemin’s face in his hands, thumbs smoothing the tears away from his eyes. There’s nowhere for Taemin to escape, and he hates himself for allowing Minho to get so close to him again. He wants to get away as far as possible, distance himself to the other side of the room and demand the truth.
‘You lied.’, Taemin repeats, his voice firmer than before. ‘You lied.’
‘Taemin, stop.’ Minho’s hands have stopped, still cupping his face. ‘What are you talking about?’ His eyes search Taemin’s probingly, and Taemin has to look away. He places his hands on Minho’s forearms, pushing them away from him.
‘You lied.’ He mutters again. The tears have stopped, although droplets still cling to his lashes. ‘Jonghyun.’
Realization dawns on Minho’s face, hands dropping down to his sides. ‘Wait. Jonghyun. No. Taemin, what did he say?’
Taemin feels a sort of satisfaction seeing and hearing the panic set in on Minho, so he refuses to reply.
‘You lied.’ He states simply.
‘What did he tell you?’ His hands are gripping Taemin’s shoulders tightly, shaking him with blunt nails digging into the soft flesh.
‘You’re the boss, aren’t you? And you knew me from before, didn’t you?’ He feels proud to see the colour drain from his face. Minho is standing now, arms hanging limply by his side.
‘Taemin, I just wanted you to trust me, I thought-’
‘You lied.’ It comes out bitter.
Minho’s face is twisted in agony, wanting to go over to comfort his love, yet sensing the anger from Taemin that repels him. He turns on his heel, walking towards the door whilst his hand simultaneously reaches inside his jacket pocket, drawing out a firearm.
Taemin catches only a glimpse of his face as he turns; his expression is emotionless, set in stone. Carefully blank, like how it is before he goes to ‘deal with business’.
‘Where are you going?’
The air is still.
‘Going to find Jonghyun.’
It takes a brief moment for his brain to process this; even longer for his mind to will his limbs into moving.
He tears off after Minho, trying to stop him before it’s too late. The others point him off into the right direction, and the corridors seem even longer and narrower than usual. He curses the myriad of rooms, head turning to glance left and right into every entrance.
There’s a blind corner he turns into, and a solid, familiar build in the middle of the hall. His arm is raised. Jonghyun has his arms raised in defeat trapped with nowhere to run. Taemin notes Kibum’s presence in the background.
‘Boss, I didn’t mean to-’
‘Minho, stop!’ Taemin blurts it out, eyes frenzied at the scene in front of him.
Minho turns to face the angelic voice, his face softening into an expression of relief. ‘Taemin…’
But it’s too late.
There’s a bang.
A shot has been fired, a whimpering groan of pain that escapes Jonghyun’s lips.
Minho doesn’t seem to notice, attention solely fixed on Taemin.
‘Taemin-ah…I didn’t mean to lie to you, please believe me. I didn’t think you would find out…’
He’s glad to notice that Kibum is already dialing on his mobile, voice quietly murmuring the address and details into the phone. Brushing past Minho, he kneels down to Jonghyun.
‘Hey, I never knew that I had this much blood.’ Jonghyun’s voice is weak, the faint smile on his lips already turning pale.
‘Shit. Shit.’ Taemin rips off his jacket, pressing it to the wound in his abdomen in an attempt to stop the bleeding. He can already hear the faint shrill of the ambulance in the distance through the pounding of blood in his ears, and only prays that they can get here as fast as they can.
Kibum’s clutching Jonghyun's hand, speaking as reassuringly as he can to Jonghyun.
‘Don’t worry, the ambulance is on its way. Jonghyun. Focus. Don’t fucking die on me or I swear I’ll kick your ass from heaven to hell.’ His voice is shaky, and Taemin glances up to notice the moisture pooling in the corner of his eyes.
Jonghyun’s eyes are closed, but he seems to muster up the energy to force them open for Kibum. His wolfish grin again makes an appearance.
‘Hey, look. You really do care about me.’
The siren seems to get closer and closer, until it’s so loud that it nearly overpowers their talking.
‘You asshole. That’s the only thing you care about?’
Taemin doesn’t pay attention to them anymore. He can hear thudding footsteps approaching, and he looks up only to see Minho still standing there. His mouth is slightly ajar, and he’s as still as a statue with no clue what to do. There are figures in the background, men carrying a stretcher for Jonghyun and the next moments are fleeting, passing as a blur.
~
Taemin and Kibum ride with Jonghyun in the back of the ambulance, Taemin sitting mutely and feeling out of place as Kibum keeps vigilance over Jonghyun, watching every laborious breath that Jonghyun takes from the oxygen mask strung around his mouth. They can feel every bump on the road that they fly over, Kibum cursing the drivers every time Jonghyun seems to wince.
Medical staff are waiting for Jonghyun, and for the next few hours all Taemin and Kibum can do is sit in the waiting room and hope for the best. Minho appears ten minutes after they arrive, but there’s no need for him to ask questions when he sees them. They sit there, television blaring in the silence as they drink cup after cup of bland coffee.
The saying ‘no news is good news’ doesn’t seem to be appropriate right now.
A doctor appears, stumbling a little over his own feet as he flips through the chart-board in his hands, wise eyes framed by large glasses. It’s been 4 hours and 27 minutes - Taemin knows, he’s been watching the time tick by on the clock right opposite him.
His expression is grave, nothing given away.
‘He’s stable for now. Thankfully, the bullet didn’t hit the stomach, and it only skimmed the liver. However, the shot meant he lost a lot of blood, and we’ve been giving him transfusions. We’ve given him medication for the pain, and he’s been drifting in and out of sleep. You can see him now; just don’t be surprised if he seems a little delirious.’
Kibum leads the way, with Taemin following on his heels and Minho trailing behind uncertainly. Jonghyun seems to be asleep, but his eyes flicker open when he hears the slight screech of the door.
Minho speaks first. ‘Shit, Jjong. I didn’t mean to shoot you, not really. You know how my temper gets, and I didn’t know what I was doing. Fucking hell, I’ll keep my gun locked up from now on, I swear.’
Jonghyun offers a wan smile. ‘It’s a good thing you’re a lousy shot, isn’t it?’ He mutters sleepily.
Kibum’s at his bedside, threading his fingers through Jonghyun's hair.
‘Thank fuck you didn’t die on me, or else I don’t know what I would have done. And you-’ Kibum whips his head in Minho’s direction. ‘What the fuck were you thinking?’ he snarls.
Jonghyun places a hand on Kibum’s forearm, murmuring to him comfortingly and Kibum relaxes visibly. Taemin feels awkward in front of this couple, and he fidgets until they take notice of his and Minho’s presence again. Jonghyun raises his head to Minho.
‘Um. Minho, maybe you two should sort it out. Taemin, feel free to shoot him, you have my permission.’ A weary chuckle comes from all of them, and Taemin leads the way out back to the waiting room.
He sinks back into an armchair, leaving Minho standing awkwardly beside the coffee table and its stack of out-of-date magazines. Suddenly it seems that the lies are not such a big deal, after what’s happened in the past hours.
‘Taemin.’
Taemin raises his eyes to Minho, who looks (if it is possible) even more tired than he is himself. There are dark circles beneath his eyes, and Taemin supposes that the guilt of shooting his friend has taken a toll on him, even more so than it did for Kibum. He watches as Minho approaches, but instead of sitting in the chair next to him, he crouches in front of him, steadying himself with his hands on Taemin’s chair.
For once, Taemin is able to look down at Minho.
‘Taemin-ah, I’m sorry for lying to you. I thought - I thought you wouldn’t want to get to know me if you knew I am the leader of all this. Because it’s corrupt. Who would want to get close to such a cold hearted man? I thought if I lied to you and told you I was only the right hand man then it would be easier for you to trust me.’
‘I was going to run away with you.’
It pains Minho to hear this said in past terms. He reaches over and grasps Taemin’s hands in his own, stopping Taemin playing with a loose thread in his jeans.
‘I’m sorry, Taemin-ah. I’m sorry. I wanted you to have a good impression about me, only good thoughts. I suppose this is all for nothing, isn’t it?’
Taemin finally meets his gaze, which lights a small flicker of hope inside him.
‘Would you ever have told me if I ran away with you? Or would I have continued living with these lies you made for me?’
He rubs Taemin’s hands, but Taemin gives no response, hands limp as if they don’t belong in Minho’s clasp anymore.
‘I don’t think I would have,’ he admits. ‘Not if you loved me.’
Taemin sighs, shaking free of Minho’s grasp to pull his knees up to his chest. ‘It’s strange how I remember you now, only after Jonghyun told me. I tried to forget what happened in high school; but I suppose I was too successful in that, wasn’t I?’
‘You remember?’
‘Of course.’ He quirks his lips up a little. ‘I don’t know how I wasn’t able to recognize you. After all, you’re still practically the same.’
Minho sulks at this. ‘And here I thought I had matured.’
‘You still pout the same as well,’ Taemin muses. He lets a yawn out, stretching his arms out. The clock shows it’s past 6am, and all the coffee he has consumed seems to have no effect on him, strangely enough.
‘You’re tired.’ Minho straightens up instantly. ‘I can drive you home.’
Taemin declines. ‘I’ll get a taxi from the front.’
Minho’s face falls at this, stepping back a little to give Taemin room.
‘I’m sorry, Minho, but I don’t think I’m ready yet.’
He offers to accompany Taemin down to the foyer, (‘at the very least’, he insists), and Taemin lets him. The silence is overwhelming, no longer comfortable like it had been only a day ago. Nurses and doctors hurry past them as they make their way either to work or back home, the new day dawning on the as the sun prepares to rise.
Taemin gets into a taxi sleepily while Minho gives the correct address to the driver.
‘I suppose this is goodbye, then.’ He stares down fondly at Taemin, eyes already shut and nestled into the corner of the car.
‘Yeah…bye. Later.’ It’s incoherent mumbling that tumbles out of his yawning mouth, but Minho stills, the little said finalizing it.
The taxi drives off, and Minho watches until it turns a corner and disappears. He sighs, having no choice other than to go back up into the hospital ward, a Kibum waiting to berate him in hushed tones whilst Jonghyun would mock him from behind.
A/N2: So. Anon, I hope this fulfilled what you wanted and I'm sorry if you didn't like the unintentional fluff, because for some reason I always somehow inject fluff into my writing because I'm cheesy and sentimental ok. I had to bribe my sister to not annoy me for a whole day to try and get this thing finished, and I'm posting this because I've already spent waay too long on it.
On a side note, this fic includes the first kiss scene I've ever written O__O. Before I just like avoided kiss scenes (otl cockblocking) soo...yea.
For all the other readers, you should head over to the 2minkink thing and post some prompts there :3 they may get filled, you never know.
And for my other regular readers otl do I even have any I'm working on the next chapter of Police Station now, so please be patient! :)
AND ALSO. I forgot to put this in urgh. Is anyone going to be in london during late july? :D
Previous
It’s an easy sort of pattern they fall into over the next few weeks with Minho usually arriving at Taemin’s door at seven to pick him up, and invariably they would spend the evenings walking the streets of Seoul eating hot street food bought from the market stalls, or going to restaurants or the cinema and even infrequently to Minho’s own apartment. Their outings were nearly always centered around food, with Minho protesting that Taemin is mere skin and bones, (‘worse than a stray cat’). Besides, Minho likes feeding him.
However, tonight Taemin insists that they go to the warehouse to allow him to again work on the kkangpae’s financial documents. He found this work to be interesting actually; how many highly esteemed members of the public bought drugs off the kkangpae in the shady corners of the streets where no one thought to look; how money was owed by an incomprehensible amount of people, even by other gangs that were considered to be underdogs. His father has been granted permission to return home, but Taemin still has to keep working. It isn’t so bad now; they paid him a little as well as taking the cost off of the debt, and the amount they paid is enough for him and his father to afford their bills as well as basic groceries.
The evenings at the warehouse were always fun for him; they consisted of stolen glances between him and Minho - often he would feel the weight of Minho’s stare on him as his pen scratched on thin paper, and he could never resist peeking up to catch him out, with shoes propped up on his wooden table and a grin that crinkled his eyes, hands playing with a pen as he watched Taemin work. He is more comfortable of the other members now as well, as they are now aware of the fact that he is Minho’s, and act out of forced politeness whenever he was around - no one wants to get on the wrong side of Minho and face the consequences.
In fact, the only person who seems normal to him in the kkangpae is Jonghyun, even if he did mistaken Taemin to be a prostitute at first. He had met him again on his second time there, with Jonghyun asking him to put it behind them - ‘after all, you should probably take it as a compliment that I thought you were a whore, because it means that I thought that you were really attractive right?’ He had glanced around in case Minho had come back. ‘I mean, not to say that I would take you from Minho, but that you are really pretty - I mean - oh god, it’s not that you look like a whore but you could be if you wanted to, you know what I mean? Not that I’m persuading you to or anything. Wait, that didn’t sound right either. What I mean is-’ Taemin had cut him off then, hiding a laugh behind his hand and reassuring Jonghyun that he was forgiven.
Minho wants to escape earlier today, and he drags Taemin from behind his table, complaining that he likes to work more than spending time with him. He coaxes Taemin into leaving, spinning him a tale about how there are supposed to be shooting stars tonight, and that they should go to the park and camp out in order to watch out for them. Taemin is impressed by this, and agrees into leaving, wanting for his wishes to come true.
They are lying on a small blanket Minho had conveniently stowed away in his backseat, Minho’s long legs draped over the other’s because he claims to find Taemin’s legs more comfortable than the grassy ground. They cannot see anyone else in the clearing, and Minho is content to just lie there after moving Taemin’s head to his chest, even if some curls do tickle his neck and face. Minho talks, because Taemin is quiet and absorbed in his own thoughts. He always knows that when he is like this it’s because he needs to sort out a mess of things out in his head. Minho rambles about how the stars are scattered in the midnight blue sky, the moon only a sliver of a crescent and how the north star is the brightest - ‘it’s the star that’ll lead you home’.
Taemin interrupts after a while, pressing a thin finger to Minho’s lips, effectively stopping him mid-sentence. He rolls onto his stomach before talking, solemnly propping up his head on an elbow, head cocked to the side as he observes Minho.
Minho laughs, finding Taemin adorable, especially when he is being serious and the younger kicks his shin.
‘What is it, Taemin-ah?’ He threads his fingers through the soft waves of hair, feeling like cool silk due to the night air.
‘Minho…you know on the night of the fireworks?’ Minho nods, hands stilling and chest tightening as he recalls that particular night. It’s the mask of calm he wears when in business meetings, and he knows that Taemin doesn’t know about this façade, simply because he has never showed him.
‘And you said about wanting to start afresh?’ His voice is quietly hopeful, afraid of a quick rebuff.
Minho feels the mask slip and reveal a face full of relief, but Taemin is avoiding eye contact and Minho laughs again at this. He pulls Taemin to his chest, ignoring his struggles to escape free.
‘No, wait, I haven’t finished.’ Taemin wriggles, using his surprisingly strong legs to push Minho away. ‘We could run away.’
‘To where, Taemin-ah?’ He’s lying flat on his back now, eyes tracing what he thinks is Orion’s belt.
‘To- well, to the seaside. Or wherever you want to go. I don’t mind. After all, it’s not like there’s anything tying me down here.’
Minho actually considers this. He’s always liked the seaside, the fresh air that always tastes of saltwater and the quaint little shops that line the harbour. But he has responsibilities here, a gang to take care of. Taemin’s waiting for an answer, mouth set in a line with worry from the possibility that Minho might not want to run away with him.
‘Taemin-ah. This is all very sudden. We should think about this first, shouldn’t we? Make plans if we are to do this?’ He kisses Taemin’s forehead comfortingly, and Taemin melts back against his chest.
~
He’s working in the warehouse again tonight, dealing with the statements from the shipment of firearms that had just arrived yesterday. He feels slightly off centre though - Minho’s left him alone, saying that he has to deal with business, and that’s he’ll be back soon. Taemin never dares to ask what the business ever is, because he can sense that Minho doesn’t want to go. He never likes it when Minho sometimes comes back splattered with what seems to be blood, either.
They haven’t spoken directly of running away, but with Minho talking about it as if it is a holiday. However, one day Taemin had opened the dashboard of Minho’s car to discover several maps and two fake passports, a small box stuffed full with ₩50,000 notes and several bank cards with the same fake names.
Taemin’s finished his work, so he wonders out into the main area, instinctively searching out Jonghyun to keep him entertained. He gives the others a wide berth; although they are friendly to him, he does not yet feel comfortable enough to sit and play cards with them. Jonghyun’s voice can be heard clearly through the building, and he follows the complaining whine to the kitchen.
‘It wasn’t my fault, I didn’t mean to break the glass. I’m getting better at controlling my anger, really.’
The man in the kitchen with him has a brush in his hand, brandishing it menacingly in the direction of Jonghyun. He has his back turned to Taemin, and all he can see is a bright pink, collar-studded jacket, the bottom part of his head shaved leaving long blonde on the top.
Jonghyun spots Taemin in the entrance, and eagerly changes the topic. ‘Kibum, this is Taemin, Minho’s boyfriend. I told you he’s attractive, isn’t he? Of course, uh, not any more than you are because I only have you in my eyes, right?’
The man named Kibum turns to Taemin, and the first thing he notices are the feline eyes, black eyeliner lending a fierce glare.
‘He is cute.’ Kibum affirms.
Jonghyun perks up at this. ‘Isn’t he? Actually, there’s a really funny story. First time I saw him I thought he was a prostitute, because of his body - I mean, Kibum, I haven’t been looking at his body, it’s just that there was that shipment about a month ago and I thought he was a late delivery and-’
Taemin is biting his lower lip to try and prevent his laughter coming out; Kibum is rolling his eyes theatrically whilst Jonghyun stutters on, digging himself into an even bigger hole.
‘Shut up, Jonghyun,’ and immediately Jonghyun presses his lips together, eyes widely innocent.
Kibum turns his focused attention to Taemin. ‘So, you’re Minho’s boyfriend, huh? I guess the boss has finally accepted that he’s gay.’
Jonghyun isn’t able to keep up his silence for long, and pipes in. ‘You know what, Kibum? Boss told Taemin to call him Minho on the first day they met again. Honestly, he doesn’t even like us calling him Minho even though we’ve worked with him for years.’
Kibum cocks a brow at Taemin. ‘You must be something pretty special, huh? He has been a lot happier these past couple of weeks, not been his usual ruthless self. Keep on distracting him, it’s a lot better for the rest of us if he isn’t as focused.’
Taemin is confused by the way they’re talking, all this scrambling around in his brain. ‘Wait…what do you mean calling him boss all the time? Jonghyun, met again?’
The two look at each other, faces stricken with surprise. Jonghyun really is silent this time.
‘Taemin, you know after all this time that Minho is the boss, right?’
You may call me Minho.
I am not the boss, Taemin. Merely…his right hand man.
The boss is away now, overseas to deal with business.
Men the boss has killed, whispered awe at how he has managed to overturn leaders in other mafias by monopolizing the drug trade in Korea.
Just business, Taemin. I have…something to take care of after this.
‘But…’
Jonghyun opens his mouth more slowly this time. ‘Minho kept saying to me how it must be fate when you two met again…a long time since you were in the same high school together. I haven’t ever seen him this happy before.’
Forgive me for a bad first impression, Taemin.
Even have double dessert, if you’re really unable to choose!
Minho’s first pet was a lizard
You remind me of a friend I used to know back in high school
I just - I feel so comfortable with you; I forget that we’ve only met twice
I haven’t been to the park since high school, it seems
Me either.
How could Taemin have forgotten? How could Minho have lied to him? All this, every minute they had spent together, and Taemin didn’t have a clue about the truth. He doesn’t realize he is crying until hot tracks make their way down his cheeks, eyes welling up from anger and the fact that everyone else knows apart from him.
Kibum wraps an arm around Taemin in a comforting gesture whilst Jonghyun rips paper towels for him to dry his eyes with. He must look so stupid, he realizes. To not know this, even when it was all in front of his eyes.
Jonghyun and Kibum glance at each other, guilt clearly written on their faces as Taemin tries to control the sobs leaking out.
‘Shit. Taemin, if I knew that you didn’t know, I wouldn’t have said anything-‘
Taemin interrupts Jonghyun this time. ‘It’s alright. The truth had to come out at some time, right?’ The smile he tries to plaster onto his face is weak, already cracking as he tries to stifle a sob that involuntarily comes from his throat. Kibum’s hand is rubbing slow circles on his back, and he feels so embarrassed to be crying in front of this man he’s only just met.
‘I think- I think I just need to be by myself for a bit.’ He leaves the room then, lowering his head in an attempt to disguise his swollen eyes to the rest of the gang, and in the background he can hear Kibum who is already beginning to chastise Jonghyun.
He sits in Minho’s chair, a knot of uneasiness resting in his stomach. The only sound present is the ticking of the clock, marking the passing of time, each second getting closer to when Minho would come back.
The door opens, quickly closing shut with a quiet click and Taemin can hear the swift footsteps making their way to the room, picture Minho’s eager smiling face to be back and meet again, even if he’s only been absent for a few hours.
Jonghyun’s voice is unmistakable, meek as he tries to call Minho.
‘Boss.’
‘Boss, wait-’
Taemin can imagine Minho on the other side of the door, impatiently waving a hand dismissingly at Jonghyun’s direction. ‘Hang on, Jonghyun, you can tell me later.’
The door handle turns, and Taemin can feel the tears trailing down his cheeks again, dripping off his jaw only to splash onto his chest.
Minho’s face is radiant, almost glowing with happiness, lips grinning wide to show pearly white teeth. His smile quickly falls when he sees Taemin crying silently, and in a flash Minho is over by his side.
He cradles Taemin as best he can, perching on the armrest and encircling him tightly in his arms. Minho has never seen him cry before, and his mind is in a state of panic as he rubs Taemin’s back in circles, trying to console him and to stop crying.
‘Taemin-ah, what’s wrong? Tell me, so I can fix it for you.’
What Minho doesn’t understand is he can’t, not when the trust between them has been broken. It upsets Taemin that whilst he wants to be comforted by Minho, he’s also the one who has caused him this pain. He tries to wriggle away from Minho, feeling like a traitor to himself when he’s promised himself that he wouldn’t fall into this trap, that he would stand up for himself this time and not listen to these well spun lies of deceit.
‘You - you lied.’ He barely manages to choke out these two words and his sight is blurred, tears falling thick and fast, too fast for him to wipe away before they are replaced by new ones.
‘What are you talking about, Taemin-ah?’ His voice is soft, soothing as he cradles Taemin’s face in his hands, thumbs smoothing the tears away from his eyes. There’s nowhere for Taemin to escape, and he hates himself for allowing Minho to get so close to him again. He wants to get away as far as possible, distance himself to the other side of the room and demand the truth.
‘You lied.’, Taemin repeats, his voice firmer than before. ‘You lied.’
‘Taemin, stop.’ Minho’s hands have stopped, still cupping his face. ‘What are you talking about?’ His eyes search Taemin’s probingly, and Taemin has to look away. He places his hands on Minho’s forearms, pushing them away from him.
‘You lied.’ He mutters again. The tears have stopped, although droplets still cling to his lashes. ‘Jonghyun.’
Realization dawns on Minho’s face, hands dropping down to his sides. ‘Wait. Jonghyun. No. Taemin, what did he say?’
Taemin feels a sort of satisfaction seeing and hearing the panic set in on Minho, so he refuses to reply.
‘You lied.’ He states simply.
‘What did he tell you?’ His hands are gripping Taemin’s shoulders tightly, shaking him with blunt nails digging into the soft flesh.
‘You’re the boss, aren’t you? And you knew me from before, didn’t you?’ He feels proud to see the colour drain from his face. Minho is standing now, arms hanging limply by his side.
‘Taemin, I just wanted you to trust me, I thought-’
‘You lied.’ It comes out bitter.
Minho’s face is twisted in agony, wanting to go over to comfort his love, yet sensing the anger from Taemin that repels him. He turns on his heel, walking towards the door whilst his hand simultaneously reaches inside his jacket pocket, drawing out a firearm.
Taemin catches only a glimpse of his face as he turns; his expression is emotionless, set in stone. Carefully blank, like how it is before he goes to ‘deal with business’.
‘Where are you going?’
The air is still.
‘Going to find Jonghyun.’
It takes a brief moment for his brain to process this; even longer for his mind to will his limbs into moving.
He tears off after Minho, trying to stop him before it’s too late. The others point him off into the right direction, and the corridors seem even longer and narrower than usual. He curses the myriad of rooms, head turning to glance left and right into every entrance.
There’s a blind corner he turns into, and a solid, familiar build in the middle of the hall. His arm is raised. Jonghyun has his arms raised in defeat trapped with nowhere to run. Taemin notes Kibum’s presence in the background.
‘Boss, I didn’t mean to-’
‘Minho, stop!’ Taemin blurts it out, eyes frenzied at the scene in front of him.
Minho turns to face the angelic voice, his face softening into an expression of relief. ‘Taemin…’
But it’s too late.
There’s a bang.
A shot has been fired, a whimpering groan of pain that escapes Jonghyun’s lips.
Minho doesn’t seem to notice, attention solely fixed on Taemin.
‘Taemin-ah…I didn’t mean to lie to you, please believe me. I didn’t think you would find out…’
He’s glad to notice that Kibum is already dialing on his mobile, voice quietly murmuring the address and details into the phone. Brushing past Minho, he kneels down to Jonghyun.
‘Hey, I never knew that I had this much blood.’ Jonghyun’s voice is weak, the faint smile on his lips already turning pale.
‘Shit. Shit.’ Taemin rips off his jacket, pressing it to the wound in his abdomen in an attempt to stop the bleeding. He can already hear the faint shrill of the ambulance in the distance through the pounding of blood in his ears, and only prays that they can get here as fast as they can.
Kibum’s clutching Jonghyun's hand, speaking as reassuringly as he can to Jonghyun.
‘Don’t worry, the ambulance is on its way. Jonghyun. Focus. Don’t fucking die on me or I swear I’ll kick your ass from heaven to hell.’ His voice is shaky, and Taemin glances up to notice the moisture pooling in the corner of his eyes.
Jonghyun’s eyes are closed, but he seems to muster up the energy to force them open for Kibum. His wolfish grin again makes an appearance.
‘Hey, look. You really do care about me.’
The siren seems to get closer and closer, until it’s so loud that it nearly overpowers their talking.
‘You asshole. That’s the only thing you care about?’
Taemin doesn’t pay attention to them anymore. He can hear thudding footsteps approaching, and he looks up only to see Minho still standing there. His mouth is slightly ajar, and he’s as still as a statue with no clue what to do. There are figures in the background, men carrying a stretcher for Jonghyun and the next moments are fleeting, passing as a blur.
~
Taemin and Kibum ride with Jonghyun in the back of the ambulance, Taemin sitting mutely and feeling out of place as Kibum keeps vigilance over Jonghyun, watching every laborious breath that Jonghyun takes from the oxygen mask strung around his mouth. They can feel every bump on the road that they fly over, Kibum cursing the drivers every time Jonghyun seems to wince.
Medical staff are waiting for Jonghyun, and for the next few hours all Taemin and Kibum can do is sit in the waiting room and hope for the best. Minho appears ten minutes after they arrive, but there’s no need for him to ask questions when he sees them. They sit there, television blaring in the silence as they drink cup after cup of bland coffee.
The saying ‘no news is good news’ doesn’t seem to be appropriate right now.
A doctor appears, stumbling a little over his own feet as he flips through the chart-board in his hands, wise eyes framed by large glasses. It’s been 4 hours and 27 minutes - Taemin knows, he’s been watching the time tick by on the clock right opposite him.
His expression is grave, nothing given away.
‘He’s stable for now. Thankfully, the bullet didn’t hit the stomach, and it only skimmed the liver. However, the shot meant he lost a lot of blood, and we’ve been giving him transfusions. We’ve given him medication for the pain, and he’s been drifting in and out of sleep. You can see him now; just don’t be surprised if he seems a little delirious.’
Kibum leads the way, with Taemin following on his heels and Minho trailing behind uncertainly. Jonghyun seems to be asleep, but his eyes flicker open when he hears the slight screech of the door.
Minho speaks first. ‘Shit, Jjong. I didn’t mean to shoot you, not really. You know how my temper gets, and I didn’t know what I was doing. Fucking hell, I’ll keep my gun locked up from now on, I swear.’
Jonghyun offers a wan smile. ‘It’s a good thing you’re a lousy shot, isn’t it?’ He mutters sleepily.
Kibum’s at his bedside, threading his fingers through Jonghyun's hair.
‘Thank fuck you didn’t die on me, or else I don’t know what I would have done. And you-’ Kibum whips his head in Minho’s direction. ‘What the fuck were you thinking?’ he snarls.
Jonghyun places a hand on Kibum’s forearm, murmuring to him comfortingly and Kibum relaxes visibly. Taemin feels awkward in front of this couple, and he fidgets until they take notice of his and Minho’s presence again. Jonghyun raises his head to Minho.
‘Um. Minho, maybe you two should sort it out. Taemin, feel free to shoot him, you have my permission.’ A weary chuckle comes from all of them, and Taemin leads the way out back to the waiting room.
He sinks back into an armchair, leaving Minho standing awkwardly beside the coffee table and its stack of out-of-date magazines. Suddenly it seems that the lies are not such a big deal, after what’s happened in the past hours.
‘Taemin.’
Taemin raises his eyes to Minho, who looks (if it is possible) even more tired than he is himself. There are dark circles beneath his eyes, and Taemin supposes that the guilt of shooting his friend has taken a toll on him, even more so than it did for Kibum. He watches as Minho approaches, but instead of sitting in the chair next to him, he crouches in front of him, steadying himself with his hands on Taemin’s chair.
For once, Taemin is able to look down at Minho.
‘Taemin-ah, I’m sorry for lying to you. I thought - I thought you wouldn’t want to get to know me if you knew I am the leader of all this. Because it’s corrupt. Who would want to get close to such a cold hearted man? I thought if I lied to you and told you I was only the right hand man then it would be easier for you to trust me.’
‘I was going to run away with you.’
It pains Minho to hear this said in past terms. He reaches over and grasps Taemin’s hands in his own, stopping Taemin playing with a loose thread in his jeans.
‘I’m sorry, Taemin-ah. I’m sorry. I wanted you to have a good impression about me, only good thoughts. I suppose this is all for nothing, isn’t it?’
Taemin finally meets his gaze, which lights a small flicker of hope inside him.
‘Would you ever have told me if I ran away with you? Or would I have continued living with these lies you made for me?’
He rubs Taemin’s hands, but Taemin gives no response, hands limp as if they don’t belong in Minho’s clasp anymore.
‘I don’t think I would have,’ he admits. ‘Not if you loved me.’
Taemin sighs, shaking free of Minho’s grasp to pull his knees up to his chest. ‘It’s strange how I remember you now, only after Jonghyun told me. I tried to forget what happened in high school; but I suppose I was too successful in that, wasn’t I?’
‘You remember?’
‘Of course.’ He quirks his lips up a little. ‘I don’t know how I wasn’t able to recognize you. After all, you’re still practically the same.’
Minho sulks at this. ‘And here I thought I had matured.’
‘You still pout the same as well,’ Taemin muses. He lets a yawn out, stretching his arms out. The clock shows it’s past 6am, and all the coffee he has consumed seems to have no effect on him, strangely enough.
‘You’re tired.’ Minho straightens up instantly. ‘I can drive you home.’
Taemin declines. ‘I’ll get a taxi from the front.’
Minho’s face falls at this, stepping back a little to give Taemin room.
‘I’m sorry, Minho, but I don’t think I’m ready yet.’
He offers to accompany Taemin down to the foyer, (‘at the very least’, he insists), and Taemin lets him. The silence is overwhelming, no longer comfortable like it had been only a day ago. Nurses and doctors hurry past them as they make their way either to work or back home, the new day dawning on the as the sun prepares to rise.
Taemin gets into a taxi sleepily while Minho gives the correct address to the driver.
‘I suppose this is goodbye, then.’ He stares down fondly at Taemin, eyes already shut and nestled into the corner of the car.
‘Yeah…bye. Later.’ It’s incoherent mumbling that tumbles out of his yawning mouth, but Minho stills, the little said finalizing it.
The taxi drives off, and Minho watches until it turns a corner and disappears. He sighs, having no choice other than to go back up into the hospital ward, a Kibum waiting to berate him in hushed tones whilst Jonghyun would mock him from behind.
A/N2: So. Anon, I hope this fulfilled what you wanted and I'm sorry if you didn't like the unintentional fluff, because for some reason I always somehow inject fluff into my writing because I'm cheesy and sentimental ok. I had to bribe my sister to not annoy me for a whole day to try and get this thing finished, and I'm posting this because I've already spent waay too long on it.
On a side note, this fic includes the first kiss scene I've ever written O__O. Before I just like avoided kiss scenes (otl cockblocking) soo...yea.
For all the other readers, you should head over to the 2minkink thing and post some prompts there :3 they may get filled, you never know.
And for my other regular readers otl do I even have any I'm working on the next chapter of Police Station now, so please be patient! :)
AND ALSO. I forgot to put this in urgh. Is anyone going to be in london during late july? :D